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The TMNT toy licence now belongs to Mattel, starting in 2027. What does that mean for other companies making Turtles toys?
Posted in: Collectibles, Mattel | Tagged: mattel, NECA, tmnt
TMNT Is Now With Mattel…So What Does That Mean For Everyone Else?
The TMNT toy licence now belongs to Mattel, starting in 2027. What does that mean for other companies making Turtles toys?
Article Summary
- TMNT toy license moves to Mattel in 2027, ending Playmates’ 40-year run with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
- Mattel to create TMNT toys for Mutant Mayhem 2, the next live-action movie, and classic TMNT eras
- Fate of NECA, McFarlane, and other TMNT lines uncertain as Mattel and Paramount may end outside licensing deals
- Collectors face uncertainty with rising prices and changing licenses as the TMNT landscape shifts dramatically
TMNT fans got some big news yesterday ahead of New York Toy Fair, as it was announced that Mattel now holds the master toy licence for the Turtles. The deal starts in 2027, and that means the brand will produce merch for TMNT: Mutant Mayhem 2 as well as the next live-action film in the planning stages. This also means that they can make toys from the entire history of TMNT. The plan is for "action figures, playsets and accessories, vehicles, games, collectibles, role play and other offerings," as stated in the press release announcing the move. Playmates has held the master licence for over 40 years, but announced that it was ending the partnership late in 2025.
What Happens To Other Lines Featuring TMNT
The big question out there right now is what will happen to the many lines of TMNT figures and toys being produced by other companies. McFarlane Toys, NECA, Mondo, and many other companies all have lines of figures and collectibles on shelves, as Playmates chose to play nice with these companies for years. Mattel is not inclined to do that, nor is the new regime at Paramount. Many collectors' first thoughts went to NECA, which has had as many as four different lines of TMNT figures going at once over the last ten years. Their movie line, and especially their cartoon line, has given us some of the best figures ever produced, and gotten many grail characters crossed off many collectors' lists. They just started their 2012 cartoon line, one that collectors have been begging for. Will these come to an end?
There is a lot of uncertainty in the air right now as far as action figure collecting is concerned. Prices are climbing to new heights, character lists are growing shorter, and licenses are switching hands, which has collectors wondering if they want to start over with a new company and look to characters they are used to buying in a certain style, sometimes for over a decade or more. TMNT is not one of the brands many saw this coming with, but here we are. Hopefully, Toy Fair has some answers for us.
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